Newspaper motto noting Cambodia’s land area deemed “insulting”, two newspapers shut down

Date Issue

2011-08-04

Nature of violation

Closure of
two newspapers run by the same publisher

Rights involved

Right to
freedom of expression, Article 41 of the Constitution of Cambodia and Article
19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Brief Description

The Cambodian Ministry of
Information has rescinded the licenses of two newspapers owned by the same
publisher – The Water and Fire News
and The World News – and has ordered
that the two papers cease publication. A notice outlining the decision was
signed by Khieu Kannharith, the Minister of Information, which stated that the
order was effective as of 3 August 2011.

According to ministry spokesperson
Yeam Noy, the order was given as a result of the failure of either paper to
publish any address despite repeated requests by the Ministry that such
information be provided but also as a result of a perceived insult to the
Ministry of Information. In an article in The
Cambodia Daily on 4 August 2011 Mr. Yeam is quoted explaining that the
motto of one of The Water and Fire News
– “News that doesn’t cover outside the 181,035 km square territory” referring
to Cambodia’s land area – which was published on the front cover amounted to an
insult to the Ministry of the Information without offering any further
explanation.

The two newspapers, according to
their director Keo Amnot Sangkhem, are independent of any political party but
run articles which are critical of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party. In the
article in The Cambodia Daily, Mr.
Keo explains that he previously halted publication of The Water and Fire News three years ago by his own volition after
he was threatened by a government official following his publication of an
article following the death of National Police Commissioner Hok Lundy. Since
receiving notification of decision to rescind the licenses of the two
newspapers, Mr. Keo has written a complaint to the Minister of Information.

Contact

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